Abstract
The paper discusses how the ideas of marriage in the movie "American Beauty" are perhaps right in that both people act selfishly, and undermine traditionalist beliefs of marriage in our American culture. The paper describes how both Lester and Carolyn Burnham go through quite a bit as a couple, and Fossett's beliefs deconstruct the relationship.

From the Paper
"Sam Mendes' film "American Beauty" explores the power dynamic and rationalist turns of marriage explained in Charles Stephen Fossett III's "Marriage Brokers and Heartbrokers". The film itself exposes the underlying problems of the Burnham family, an upper middle class white household that seems "perfect" in terms of how society measures perfection: high-paying jobs, an affluent household, an unbroken marriage. Still, not all is what it seems in the Burnham's perfect life: Lester Burnham quits his job and becomes a model of impulsivity, passivity, and unapologetic depression."

Tags:marriage, relationships, american beauty

Abstract
The paper discusses the issue of marriage and relationships in the film "American Beauty".

From the Paper
"In the film "American Beauty" the central relationship between Lester and Caroline Burnham is that of a married couple whose relationship has become so fragmented and so fractured that they are literally, as well as figuratively, at odds with one another. Though it is Lester who is the narrator of the film and who is depicted as a husband and father disintegrating and re-forming himself, Caroline and the couple's daughter and neighbors are equally affected by this angst."

Tags:American Beauty, relationships, marriage

Abstract
This paper offers a critique of the film "American Beauty" from the perspective of the social theory of anomie, developed by Robert Merton. It looks at the different responses of the characters to a sense of alienation and isolation.

From the Paper
American Beauty a film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball has been characterized as an assault on the emotional sleepwalking that all too often passes for life in the American suburb ..."

Tags:film, anomie, Robert Merton, American Beauty

Abstract
This paper discusses editing, mise en scene, pace, and illusion in American Beauty, and how these elements contribute to the overall effect of the movie. The paper further discusses the characters, symbols and style of the film.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this essay is to examine the elements of editing that contribute to the overall effect of the film "American Beauty". A basically mise-en-scene film, this movie showcases the talent of a director and editor who employed both formalist and realist techniques to create compelling drama about one man's movement toward death after years of futility. The illusion created is of time moving rapidly, slowing and then stopping forever for Lester Burnham, the film's protagonist. In this film Lester and Carolyn..."

Tags:American Beauty, film, editing

Abstract
The paper analyzes the Oscar-winning film American Beauty (1999), which presents a complex vision of gender relations in contemporary American suburbia. Through a critical evaluation of the film with reference to scholarly work on the geography of gender, this paper demonstrates the radical degree to which American Beauty visualizes feminine confinement and control, while showing pathological feminine power in suburban space. The paper further analyzes how the perception of confinement may seem unusual in a film such as American Beauty whose cinematography at various points - such as the opening - emphasize the wide expanses of suburban life.

Tags:women, film, geography

Abstract
This paper discusses how both "American Beauty" and "The Crucible" are texts written to emphasize flaws within the American society at different periods in history. The paper first looks at how "American Beauty", which was created at the end of the 20th century when there was an increasing dissatisfaction with the American Dream, depicts Alan Ball and Sam Mendes', the composers, contemporary opinions of Western society and is an illustration of how the American Dream is often a facade for dysfunctional relationships. In comparison, the paper then examines how "The Crucible", which is set in 1692, during the unstable times of the Salem Witch trials, was written as an allegory by Arthur Miller, and demonstrates the similarities between the situation in Salem and McCarthyism in the 1950s.

From the Paper
"American Beauty was produced at a time when people were beginning to realize that the American Dream is full of unfulfilled desires, repressed dreams and shattered hopes. Alan Ball and Sam Mendes highlight the flaws of this vision through characters in the text. Lester Burnham, the main protagonist of the text, is not content with his suburban life. "Look at me, jerking off in the shower -- this will be the high point of my day. It's all downhill from here." He has a respectable occupation as a magazine executive and a family he once enjoyed the company of however he feels that his he lives a meaningless existence, "in a way, I am dead already." His only daughter Jane has issues with her body image and wishes her father would take interest in her life. "I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts every time I bring a girlfriend home from school." And his wife is stuck in a loveless marriage and doesn't allow her husband to touch her. "Our marriage is just for show. "

Tags:McCarthyism, salem, witch, trial, dream

Abstract
This paper discusses how "White Noise" by Don DeLillo and "American Beauty" directed by Sam Mendes are excellent examples of why we no longer believe in the American Dream. It examines how they skillfully shatter the myth that surrounds it and prove that it is indeed an elusive entity, which has only left us feeling incomplete, unloved, worthless, and simply, failures, despite our apparent successes. It also looks at how the women in these works are depicted as victims of media-propagated images of beauty, happiness, satisfaction, and American life on the whole. They are victims of what they see on television and in magazines and are, thus, unable to enjoy their present lives and achievements.

From the Paper
"In the White Noise by DeLillo, readers come across similar unhappy and dissatisfied characters. Babette, wife of Jack Gladney, is suffering from the same problem of dissatisfaction with life and American way of living as her counterparts in American Beauty. But she exhibits this dissatisfaction in a slightly different manner. Apart from Babette, there are several other female characters in the novel. However they are not properly developed or are too insignificant to comment upon. Steffie, the young daughter of Babette appears to be as immensely affected by media as her mother. She lives in constant fear and sympathizes with people on screen. She is also a victim of what comes on television as she "becomes upset when something shameful or humiliating seems about to happen to someone on the screen'."

Tags:babette, carolyn, women, steffi, jack

Abstract
This paper explains that Alan Ball's film "American Beauty" combines the elements of identifiable characters, a realistic story and a powerful ending to create a socially valuable and sometimes painful look at the typical American family. The author points out that film critics argue that this film is not an accurate representation of the average American family and that some aspects of the movie devalue the overall experience. The paper relates that Ball uses average characters to allow the audience to identify with each one, so that the film's meaning can reach deeper into every viewer, which is an important aspect to socially valuable films because the audience must be able to sink themselves into the film and come out of the theater with a better understanding of their own culture.

From the Paper
"The Fitts family is the division of American society that, except for Ricky Fitts, has the lifestyle of people in the past. Colonel Fitts is a military man whose regulated past and homophobia characterize him as the typical stubborn conservative. His wife, Barbara, is the submissive mother and spouse whose entire life revolves around the pointless tasks of housecleaning and cooking. These characters are important because they provide a wide spectrum that accurately catches even the less prominent aspects of society. The film's social value stems from the ability for the audience to identify with these true-to-life characters on-screen, allowing Ball to explore the universal experience that can be applied to anyone who views the movie."

Tags:family, average, social-value, characters, death

Abstract
This paper examines the film "American Beauty" which offers a picture of the modern American family as a dysfunctional institution and a gender-unequal one as well. It discusses how it is one of many films in recent years suggesting that the ideal of the suburban way of life is false. It looks at the central issue of male-female relations in the film and how the two main characters are a husband and wife in a disintegrating marriage. The Burnhams barely speak to one another most of the time and when they do, they fight. It evaluates how the way the story of the Burnhams plays out says much about the state of family life in America today, about the social and sexual pressures which divide people and also about the roles of men and women in this society, both in terms of what seems to be expected of them and what they may really decide they want.

From the Paper
"The family described by Crittenden fits this pattern quite well. She makes the point that without the strong tradition of keeping the family together, husband and wife will remain together only so long as they still have "the very tenuous bonds of affection and sexual attraction" (Crittenden 70), which for Lester and Carolyn are bonds that no longer hold them together. Indeed, all that binds them together is their own inertia about making a move to change their situation. Each is looking elsewhere for what the marriage once gave them. Lester at the beginning of the film still holds the traditional role as breadwinner, but he abandons this when he is fired. He does get another job at a fast-food restaurant, but his wife has been pursuing a career in real estate at the same time, showing that she wants to assume the role of breadwinner and may soon not need Lester at all."

Tags:sexual, pressures, family, suburban, life

Abstract
The paper argues that a good beginning and a brilliant ending are crucial to a successful film. It shows how this relates to Sam Mendes' contemporary satire, "American Beauty" which criticizes typical American aspirations and lifestyles. The film also discusses the movie's filming techniques.

From the Paper
"A good exposition has the power to draw the audience's interest into the story with elements of intrigue. A brilliant resolution gives the film a satisfactory and flawless finish. This is evident in the film "American Beauty" directed by Sam Mendes. It is proven that these two elements play a part in the success of the film. In the beginning, the audience is introduced to the plot, setting and character. First impressions are always important and this is what the film tries to achieve in its exposition to capture the audience's attention. The ending resolves the story and tries to create an impact as well as to represent issues for people to reflect on."

Tags:oscar, winning, Lester, Burnham, Col., Fitz, Pathetic, Fallacy